Abstract
V.S. Naipaul's "One Out of Many," published as part of his collection In a Free State, tells the story of Santosh, an Indian cook who travels from Bombay to Washington, DC with his employer and, once there, grapples with questions both personal and political as he adjusts to a new culture and country. To a degree, "One Out of Many" can be read as both a retelling of the "American immigrant experience" and a variation of the typical "coming-of-age" story. This story, however, ultimately proves more complicated than either of those descriptions might suggest. Through this narrative, and through what the protagonist Santosh experiences and witnesses, Naipaul is able to address a constellation of concerns ranging from identity formation, political consciousness, workers' rights, drug use, human rights, and civil rights (as well as the overlap--and difference--between human rights and civil rights). By depicting Santosh's personal journey and struggles amidst the political unrest and movements for social change that defined 1960s America, Naipaul offers a complex picture which enables us to consider human rights--and especially human rights in the classroom--in ways that go beyond what can be gained through history or other disciplines.